Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Living with the Squid Sisters was..something. It’s been about two months since Kaori moved in. While Callie was warm and nurturing, treating Kaori like a younger sister, Marie seemed to be constantly irritated by her presence. No matter what Kaori did, she couldn't seem to win Marie over. Every small mistake was met with a sharp retort or a sarcastic comment. But Callie was always there to stand up for Kaori, so things weren’t that bad.

That is what Kaori would be saying if it wasn’t for going out in public with them. Kaori wasn’t a fan of being alone despite being used to it. To solve that, Kaori would follow Callie everywhere she could like a seabunny. Callie didn’t mind but she was a bit concerned about the attachment issue. Going out in public with her or Marie was…something. The three would always get bombarded with people and it was overwhelming for Kaori. It was like everywhere they went, people would stop them to ask for autographs or take pictures. And even when they managed to get through the crowds, Kaori would get a lot of stares. It was like she had a neon sign above her head that read, "Hey, look at the weird kid who lives with the Squid Sisters." She couldn't help but feel like everyone was judging her. And-

“Watch it girlie” An inkling said, shoving her to the side. Girlie? Well Kaori is a girl. But- Nevermind. Kaori sighs and looks for Callie. After a few moments of searching, Kaori finally spots Callie and quickly makes her way over to her. Callie smiles upon seeing Kaori.

"There you are. Got lost for a bit there?" Kaori nodded. Callie notices the expression on Kaori's face.

"Hey, you okay? You look a little down." Should she tell her? Well she told her…..Anyways. The reaction she got last time wasn’t a positive one. What if Callie reacted the same way? But then again, Callie had always been kind and understanding to Kaori. Maybe... it was worth a try. Maybe she would listen and try to understand.

“Callie..do you ever feel like you’re something different..?” Callie's expression softens as she hears the tone of Kaori's voice.

"Different...? What do you mean?"

“Like…you’re not what you feel like you are..it’s hard to explain but-“ Before Kaori continued, Marie pops by with a grumbling attitude.

“There you guys are” Kaori looks over at Marie, feeling a mix of annoyance and resignation.

"We're right here, Marie. No need to be grumpy." Marie rolls her eyes, clearly in a bad mood.

"Whatever. We need to get going." Callie looks back at Kaori, noticing the uneasy expression on her face. She knew that this conversation wasn't finished.

"We'll talk more later, okay?"

As the three of them go to the apartment, Kaori begins to think. She has a home, loving..well loving person, and she has food. But something was missing. Whatever. She’s fine. She has everything she needs.

Chapter Text

“So what did Gramps need you that was so important” Marie says sarcastically.

“Well he actually promoted me to first responder agent! And he gave me this cape!” Kaori says cheerfully. Marie rolled her eyes, unimpressed.

"Wow, a cape. That's just what every little girl wants." Callie nudged her cousin, giving her a disapproving look.

"Marie, be nice."

Girl.

That seemed to bother Kaori a lot when she got called that. But she pushes down the thoughts and begins to speak again.

"It's not just a cape. It's a symbol of responsibility. It means I'm trusted to handle the heaviest assignments."

"Oh, how impressive. I wonder how long it'll take before you mess up." Callie gave her another nudge, even harder this time.

"Marie, please. Can you try to be supportive for once?" Marie grumbled but stopped herself from making another snarky comment.

"Fine, fine. Congrats, kid. You're officially a big shot now." Despite Marie's sarcasm, Kaori couldn't help but feel a little stung by her words. It was like nothing she did was ever good enough for her. She’s just like her mom.

Kaori’s mother.

Her mother wasn’t really the…best. But that doesn’t matter anymore. She’s gone.
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Later that night, Kaori was thinking. She thought about running away again. She would never be good enough for Marie. She was never good enough for her mom, so it’s pretty reasonable that this possibility is true. The thoughts kept swirling around in her mind, becoming a tangled mess of doubts and insecurities. Even though she had found a home with Callie and Marie, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was just a burden, that she didn’t really belong.

She didn’t belong. She never did.

Kaori puts her hero suit on and cape on. She opens the window and looks at the door one last time. It was illuminating with light from the bottom until the light was turned off. She takes a deep breath and climbs out the window, closing it softly behind her. Part of her wanted to turn back, to go back to the comfort of her bed, but she knew there was no going back now. She had to do this. With a mix of determination and uncertainty, Kaori started running, not knowing where she was going, just knowing that she had to get away.

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“THE FUCK YOU MEAN SHE’S GONE?” Callie yells.

“I mean she’s gone. She wasn’t in her room” Marie says sarcastically. Callie paces around the room.

"This is bad. Really, really bad." Marie flops down on the couch and shrugs.

"Relax, she probably just went out for a walk or something. She'll be back soon." Callie shoots her a look.

"Are you really fucking with me right now?!” Marie rolls her eyes.

"What? It's not like it's a big deal. She'll be back soon." Callie can't believe what she's hearing.

“You know what Marie?! Fuck you! Ever since Kaori showed concern about the mission, you’ve been an asshole to her! Yea, she’s an agent but she’s also a KID!” Marie doesn’t say anything. Callie groans of frustration and starts to put her coat on.

“Where are you going?”

“WHAT DO YOU THINK DUMB ASS? I’M GOING TO FIND KAORI”

“Callie you sh-“ Callie slams the door before Marie could finish. Marie sighs and looks at the blank tv screen.

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Three months. It’s been three months. Kaori was gone and Callie never responded to Marie when she left to find Kaori. Marie sat on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. Three months. Three months since Kaori had disappeared. Three months since Callie had left to find her. Three months of worry, guilt, and uncertainty. Three months of wondering if Kaori was safe, if she was even still alive. And three months of thinking that Callie hated her. Callie never responded to her texts or calls. She was just left alone in their apartment.

Three months.

Cuttlefish went to go check some things out in the deep sea metro so she was alone. She couldn’t help but worry for Callie and Kaori. It was especially out of pocket for Callie to disappear for three months.

Three months.

She tried to distract herself, but her worry just kept gnawing at her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, that something had happened to them. Or worse. Maybe Octavio could give her a distraction. After all, he was stuck in a snow globe. Marie heads over to octo valley and looks over to the base. Wait. She looks again, squinting her eyes. Is the snow globe…empty? She walks over and looks inside the snow globe. Indeed, it was empty. There was no trace of Octavio anywhere.

Fuck.

What is she going to do? She can’t do this alone. She literally has no one. Then, an idea popped in her head. She can recruit someone like her Gramps did. Simple. Just get someone to get the stupid octopus back and help find Callie and Kaori. No big deal.

Chapter Text

Sango didn’t know how long he had been gone. One week? One month? Maybe a year. They didn’t know. Their dumbass decided “oh look! this looks interesting to explore!” They’re so fucking stupid. All he knows is that he’s hungry and tired. He walked around aimlessly, his stomach growling loudly. He didn't know where he was, or where he was going. But he knew he had to find something to eat soon, or he was in serious trouble. They could eat their tentacles…but it probably wouldn’t taste good. They shook their head, pushing the thought out of their mind. Eating his own tentacle was out of the question. It was desperate, even for him. Why did he run away. He had everything he needed. And he just gave it up. Dumbass. Now he’s going to die out here and-

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Huh? Sango checks his…whatever this is he can’t think of anything, and notices a notification. A distress signal? Below him? There was glass below them, but it was faded. They couldn’t see through.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

The signal sounded desperate.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

He needed to break the glass. Sango started to do everything he could to break it. He kicked at the glass trying to break it. Nothing. He punched it, his knuckles started to bleed. Nothing. He head-butted it, his vision blurs and he feels a sharp pain. Still nothing. He takes a step back, panting heavily. How was he going to break this damn glass?

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Oh for fuck sakes. He rammed himself into the glass and it broke. He toppled onto a huge blender and broke it during the process.

“Agent 3!”

Gramps? Sango was too tired. He closes his eyes and rests for a minute.

“Impressive. You managed to break my machine” A voice said.

Huh?

Sango gets up. They look around and see no one.

“You are the perfect creation” The voice said. What does that mean?

“Hey, uh whoever you are, I’m too tired to deal with you so…” Sango says. Suddenly, something grabbed Sango. He tried to struggle, but it was too strong.

“Relax. You’re going to be a part of something wonderful” The voice said. Sango didn’t like those words. He tried to get out the hold but the grip on him was too tight. They then started to feel drowsy. He tried to stay awake but his eyelids were heavy and everything around him started to blur.

“Don’t worry. You’ll feel great and you’ll finally be perfect” Those were the last things that Sango heard before they passed out.